Journey of Jazz ’25 – The Ultimate Jazz Experience
For 25 years, Signature Cruise Experiences and its predecessors have provided the finest jazz experiences in the world. Starting with The Jazz Cruise in 2001, our presentation of straight-ahead jazz has been second to none. Never wavering from our mission to present the finest jazz musicians in the world, The Jazz Cruise has celebrated the music that has defined the lives of so many top performers and fans.
Embracing “smooth jazz” was our next undertaking. The Smooth Jazz Cruise may be the most popular music cruise in the world. Since 2004, there have been more than 35 sailings of this program, each one fully reserved. Earning the title “Greatest Party at Sea,” thousands of guests have sailed on this program numerous times.
The Jazz Cruise and The Smooth Jazz Cruise can be viewed as bookends with the rest of the world of jazz in the middle. Bridging that gap has been a challenge, both optically and musically. The North Sea Jazz Cruise, Playboy Jazz Cruise and Blue Note at Sea Cruise were undertakings geared to present this robust and energizing section of the jazz world.
The reaction was like that experienced by Goldilocks. The first was too cold, the second too racy and the third was just about right until it ran out of time. Enter the next variety of cruise programs meant to straddle the various splinters of jazz.
Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Chris Botti at Sea and Journey of Jazz are programs intended to provide a wider bandwidth of great music. Christian’s cruise has a significant “straight-ahead” leaning, reflecting the nature of his music and legacy. Chris’ tastes run the gamut of musical genres as he paints with a broad brush.
Journey of Jazz will become our jazz program that melds jazz and experiences, each enhancing the other. The ’27 cruise, headed to New Orleans, is a case in point. In many respects, it will become the ultimate jazz experience.
Michael Lazaroff
Executive Director
Signature Cruise Experiences
michael@scecruises.com
Hitting the High Notes on Journey of Jazz ’25
Michael gave me the daunting assignment of writing about the music during the Journey of Jazz cruise, as he wrote in this past Weekender that I would cover hundreds of hours of music in, well, a few hundred words. I decided instead to simply write about what I found most memorable during our week hugging the West Coast with dozens of the greatest jazz musicians on the planet.
Celebrity Theater Concerts
This cruise, like many of our programs, featured special performances every night in the state-of-the-art Celebrity Theater, done as two shows so that every guest could experience the same set. Michael has talked about Marcus Miller’s History of Jazz show, which was excellent. But I wanted to give a nod to the “Great American Songbook” concert by Gregory Porter and Cècile McLorin Salvant, both of whom presented their own powerful sets. The theme aside, Cècile and Gregory both unapologetically performed material outside the usual jazz standards.
Watching Cècile perform her repertoire of veritable art songs in a duo setting with the gifted pianist Sullivan Fortner was like watching two noted actors playing a two-hander in a small theater. She later came out to sing a rendition of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz and sing a duet with Gregory on one of his originals. Yes, you had to be there.
Late Night Shows
Jazz people do tend to stay up late and they were rewarded on Journey of Jazz with multiple sets taking place around the Midnight hour.
Everyone from Emmet Cohen to Sullivan Fortner to Tivon Pennicott kept our guests wide awake very late. My favorite late-night show was by Benny Benack III and Bria Skonberg, who have been touring together in a Sing & Swing show. Doubling as trumpeters and singers, they presented a whirlwind show that showcased their chops and charm.
Special Guests
With so many gifted musicians aboard, you had to expect that there would be plenty of sitting in on shows. A memorable one for me was the noted tap dancer Brinae Ali performing with Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as with her husband, Sean Jones. As far as I know, it’s the first time we’ve had a tap dancer perform on one of our cruise programs.
Debuts
A few artists sailed with us for the first time, but I was excited to see the performances by saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, who came aboard with an all-star band featuring Jeff “Tain” Watts, Dezron Douglas and David Gilmore. Ravi also sat down with Marcus for a conversation in which he discussed his father’s legacy and its impact on his own life and music. So many of the artists are the progeny of past jazz players, including Niki Haris (Gene Harris), Benny Benack III and the Brubeck Brothers. That multi-generational aspect of jazz is one of its greatest assets.
Jazz on Film Sessions
I hosted three sessions showing clips of iconic musicians and talking with our artists about the subject. Dee Dee Bridgewater shared personal stories about Abbey Lincoln and Sean Jones explained how Dizzy Gillespie influenced him and so many other trumpeters. But it was the session on Ella Fitzgerald & Oscar Peterson that was a highlight for me, thanks to a stellar panel featuring Cècile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Fortner and Kelly Peterson, who each offered insights into the unique greatness of those two legends.
Listening Parties
There were three sessions in which artists played music from one or more of their recordings, including Benny Benack III on his last two albums and Bria Skonberg on What It Means. Playing cuts from her album Lift Thine Eyes (that featured Eric Marienthal as guest soloist), Niki Haris not only explained the personal challenges and travails that inspired the recording, but sang along with the cuts being played, making the music come alive for us.
Master Classes
There were two master classes: a piano one by Tadataka Unno and a drum one by Carl Allen. I hosted the latter and learned a great deal about the role of a jazz drummer in a band and about the intricacies of the drum set itself. Carl is a bit of a comedian too, which kept things light.
Let us know what was most memorable for you during Journey of Jazz. Send comments to JOJ25@scecruises.com.
Lee Mergner
Jazz Advisor
Signature Cruise Experiences
lee@scecruises.com
Queueing Up for Journey of Jazz ’27
If you did not sail on Journey of Jazz ’25 (or your friends, colleagues, family) and wish to sail on Journey of Jazz ’27, you can establish your priority for a reservation by signing up for Exclusive Insider Access. Doing so puts you at the front of the line when the Rebooking Process ends and before Open Booking starts.
Signature Cruise Experiences Programs
’26 CRUISES
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise
1.15.26 – 1.20.26
Christian McBride’s World at Sea
1.20.26 – 1.27.26
The Jazz Cruise
1.27.26 – 2.3.26
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1
2.3.26 – 2.10.26
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.2
2.10.26 – 2.17.26
Top Shelf Country Cruise ‘26
2.27.26 – 3.6.26
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3
9.11.26 – 9.18.26
Botti at Sea III
9.18.26 – 9.25.26
’27 CRUISES
Journey of Jazz ’27
1.24.27 – 1.31.27
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.1
1.31.27 – 2.7.27
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.2
2.7.27 – 2.14.27